Arsenal can set Declan Rice free to convey out the Patrick Vieira in him
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right here has already been a lot dialogue about what Declan Rice can do for Arsenal however maybe extra related is what enjoying for Arsenal can do for Rice.
The membership’s new £105million signing is already one of the vital constant performers within the Premier League and has stated he thinks of himself as one of many high midfielders in Europe, however Rice has lengthy believed he can nonetheless develop right into a extra dominant participant with the ball.
After England’s landmark 2-1 win over Italy in March — when Gareth Southgate’s midfield overpowered an Italian engine room of Jorginho, Marco Verratti and Nicolo Barella within the first half, underlining their progress for the reason that closing of Euro 2020 — Rice spoke about his function with the nationwide staff.
“I never really play in that position at [my] club,” he advised Standard Sport after scoring in Naples. “At West Ham, it’s a totally different format the way I play.
“When I’m right here [with England] there’s extra demand on me with the ball. It’s positively one thing I need to enhance on. I need to put myself amongst the very best and dictate the sport on the ball extra.”
Rice felt restricted as a No6 in a defensive double pivot for David Moyes’ West Ham side and was a little frustrated at the widespread perception of him as a magnificent player but primarily an all-action holding midfielder.
The 24-year-old knows he can be so much more and takes inspiration from Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure, both midfield colossi who dominated between the boxes and were regular scorers at the highest level.
There have been glimpses of the other side of Rice’s game in claret and blue, notably his solo goal against Gent in their Europa Conference League quarter-final, when he won back possession, carried the ball from inside his own half, held off two defenders and finished calmly with his weaker left foot.
“If anyone didn’t assume he might try this then they’re fully naive,” Hammers manager David Moyes said afterwards. “And they do not watch carefully sufficient.”
Rice has revelled in the opportunity to run games with the ball for Southgate’s England, albeit often in qualifiers against low-level opposition, and the win over Italy was so thrilling for him because it came against a top side in a hostile atmosphere — offering further proof that he can dominate games and score crucial goals at the highest level.
At Arsenal, Rice should be afforded the same opportunities in domestic football on a nearly weekly basis, with Mikel Arteta’s side likely to control the majority of matches, ensuring their new signing should have a freedom on the ball that was rarely possible at West Ham.
Last term, Arsenal enjoyed 59.7 per cent of possession in the top flight, compared to 41.4 for West Ham — the third lowest in the Premier League.
In footage: Declan Rice joins Arsenal
With extra time on the ball and higher gamers round him, Rice is assured that the opposite features of his recreation will shine by means of and followers who consider him as a destroyer, in a position to deputise at centre-back, will get to know a dynamic box-to-box midfielder, able to driving ahead in possession, spraying passes, getting assists and scoring repeatedly.
“He has so many parts to his game,” Moyes stated final season. “He does not always show them. He has a good personality but he can show his personality even more. If he does that then you will see so many more aspects of his game. A lot of people think it isn’t there but, let me tell you, it is there.”
Rice is predicted make-up a daily midfield three with Martin Odegaard and fellow new signing Kai Havertz, which is able to nonetheless go away him usually working as a No6, bearing the majority of defensive obligations from midfield.
Arteta, although, additionally believes Rice is without doubt one of the few Premier League-proven gamers able to each anchoring the staff and driving ahead, illustrating why Arsenal had been ready to smash their switch report for the Hammers captain.
Their mammoth funding shall be totally justified if Rice can grow to be the dynamic and dominant midfield participant on the each ends of the pitch that he believes he can.